Sealing assembly



I June 16., 1953 L,` a'sAyw-ELL 2,642,298

` sEALING ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 29, 1947 1=15 3 l FIE 4 @ff /f/ ,9 /7 /9 /7 /4 /8 /4 l 29 u 2a 29 2/ y 2/ 26 f 24 27 A 24 :NVEN'roR .lawrence 6". Sagl/ve# ATTORNEYS Patented June 16, 1953 Lawrencer G; Say/well,A San Mateo Calif- A assigner to Saywell Associates, South San Francisco,A

Calif ajoint'venturc ApplcationSeptember 29, 19471, Serial- No. 776,733 v 4 Claims., (Cl. 286-41) This invention relates generally to devices in.- v

tended to be inserted into an annular space b'ef tween outer and inner concentric parts to provide a huid-tight seal. V'Such devices haveuse,- ful application for example to prevent leakage of oil or lubricant from shaft bearings or bearing assemblies. l A Y' l In my copending application Serial No. 618,729 filedl September 26, 1945, PatentNo. 2,4.28,0 fi1, there is disclosed ai type of sealing device mj tended for installation in conjunction with shaftv bearings orV assemblies, which includes outer and inner' structures havingV elements in overlapping relation, thereby providing a plurality of annular sealing areas. Certain of the preferred embodiments disclosed in said patent utilize annuluses made of relatively thin spring metall whichhave overlapping portions forming the annular sealing. areas,l and stressed` laterally whereby said areas areA loaded and maintainedin* sealing engagement. With such al sealing device. it is essential that some pressure between o verlapping portions ofthe annuluses be maintamed irrespective of slight endwi'se movements of the shaft, or slight eccentricity or! mi'salignment. Y

The present invention has for its object the provision of special and improvedmeans f or producing and maintaining the. desiredv loading, between the annuluses. According to the present invention asupplemental. means is used in obtaining and maintaining the desired loading without relying entirely upon stressing of the annuluses, and this, supplementalmeans: does not interfere with.` maintenance ofthe desired loading between the annular sealing areas irrespecr tiveof substantial endwise movements of the shaft. A

Further objects and features of the. invention Will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.`

Referring to the, drawings: I i Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating one of the present devices. installed in conjunction with. a ball bearing asisembly.- Y

Figure 2 is anenlargeddetaili section illustrating one embodimentofthe invention.

Figure 3 is av-iewl-i-keFigur-e 2` showing asec- Qridfembodiment oftheinvention. n

Figure 4' is a viewlike Figure 2' showing embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a view like Figure 2 showing a fourth embodiment of the invention.

a third 2 FigilreV 6 is"v ay view like Figurev 2 showing a fifth embodiment of the invention.

In Figure; 1 I have showna typical shaft I0 disposedconcentrically within the outer housing I. If, and in conjunction with the roller or ball bearing.. assemblyY I2. One of my devices i3 is shown installedfin theA annularV recess between the shaft and the outer part I I, and in proximity with the bearing. assembly.; When s'oi installed the device f serves to prevent leakage ofoil or grease from'- the bearing.

Referring toFigure 2 the sealing device I3 consists of an outer structure including the annulusesv III and I*5-, which are? carried by thel rigid metal mounting ring I6. The outer periphery of annulus I4' is. seated against the mounting ring ange Ii'If, a spacer ring I8 is inserted' between the annuluses, and the annuluses' togetherwith theI spacer ring Ii are held in assembled relation by the retention ring I9. Ring It" has a fluidsti'ghti within the bore of the outer part Isl., rand likewise the annuluses are` in fluid-tight l relationship with respect to the mounting ring.

The inner structure'includes the annuluses 2 I and 22 which are-` carried by the mounting ring 231 'Mounting ring 23 has av fluid-tight t upon l thez shafta I0?. Annulus 2|V isv seated upon the mounting' ring: flange' 24a, andv the'ass'embly of' the inner structure. iscompleted by the spacer ring 2a, andthe retention' ring 2'I.

All; of the annuluses'. Il', I5, 21| and 2-2 are formed of' suitable resilient material which can be stressed laterally, as for example relatively thin flexible sheet metal'. rEhus theyV can be formed of suitable spring metal orA metal `alloys such' as'high carbon steel; Phosphor bronze', or one or morel of the so-callecl` stainless-steel. For the? merecomr'n'on sizes of shafts thickness` of the metal' annulu'se's may for examplebe of the order of'0.003'inch. w l

It will be noted that the' edge portions of the annuluses overlap on `the annular' sealing areas 28, 29. It'isvvith respect to" these sealing areas that`A loading pressure'` must bevmaintaine'd bev tween the annulus'esinorde'r te maintain a proper seal. l

Instead of relying entirely ,upon lateral deflec-v tion of the annuluses toY maintain the loading pressure Ori-the areask 28'; .a-ndf2S",l` I provide a ring 35I- which isl inserted between the annuluses I4 and IbhinY an annular* region adjacent to the, means diameter of the sealing' areas' 2'8` and 29.'. In theiembodiment of' Figure; 2 this ring is cir,- cular` in` crosse-sectional, contour, andj itis` formed` of suitable resi1ientmateriaL'such as a resilient" whereby it serves to spread the annuluses I4 and I5 and urge the same into sealing engagement with the overlapping portions of the annuluses 2| and 22. Instead of such proportioning, however, it is possible to dimension the ring' 3| so that it has a diameter substantially the same as the width of spacer I8, and to form the spacer 2B of somewhat lesser width thereby the annuluses 2| and 22 are necessarily deflected and stressed in opposite directions. In this instance stressingT of the annuluses 2| and 22 serves to provide the desired loading force, but the pressure thus `applied to the annuluses I 4 and I5 is accommodated to a substantial degree by forces 'applied in opposite directions to the insert ring 3|.

In general the similar arrangement for Figure 2 is that first described, namely to dimension the ring 3| whereby with spacer rings I8 and 29 of the same width, the annuluses I4 and l5 are spread to stress the annuluses 2| and 22, thus causing the desired degree of loading upon the sealing areas 28 and 29. Irrespective of which arrangement is used however effective pressure will be maintained between the overlapping portions to maintain the desired seal, and the device will accommodate substantial endwise movement of the shaft Without disrupting the desired seal. This is because the ring 3| does not interfere with simultaneous flexing of the annuluses I4 and I5 toward one direction or the other, such as is required to accommodate endwise movement of the shaft.

The embodimentof Figure 3 is similar to Figure 2. However, in this case the ring. 33, corresponding to the ring 3| in Figure 2, is `square or rectangular .in cross-sectional contour. Instead of forming such a `ring of resilient material, it can be formed of a suitable plastic or composition, in which event its resilience is not relied upon to maintain loading, but reliance is made upon the deflection and stressing of the annuluses 2| and 22.

In the arrangement of Figure 4 the ring 34, corresponding to ring 3| of Figure 2, is formed as a bead upon the inner peripheral edge of the flat annulus 35. Member 3B is loosely disposed between the annuluses I4 and i5, `and serves to insure retention of the ring 34 in proper position. Member SI5 and the bead portion or ring 34 can be formed of resilient material such as synthetic rubber, or of relatively rigid materials such as a suitable molded plastic -or composition.

In the arrangement ofrFigure 5 the ring 3| is the same as in Figure 2, but in order to insure its retention in proper position, an 'additional annulus 32 is provided and which is loosely disposed between the annuluses I4 and I5. The inner diameter of annulus 32 is substantially the same or only slightly greater than the outer diameter of ring 3|, whereby it serves tQ retain the ring 3| in proper position. y

In the embodiment of Figure 6 the ring 38, corresponding to the ring 3| of Figure 2, is formed as an enlargement upon the annulus 39. This annulus extends loosely between both the outer and inner structures, and may be formed of resilient rubber, or of relatively rigid plastic material. It will be evident that an annulus of this type not only serves to retain the portion 38 in proper operating position, but in addition it greatly stiffens the entire device, thus enabling it to withstand higher fluid pressures.

I claim:

1. In ya sealing device for establishing a fluid tight seal between relatively rotatable inner and outer parts having an annular space therebetween for receiving said sealing device, said device oomprising an outer sealing structure 'adapted to be carried by said outer part in fluid tight relation therewith, said structure including a pair of annuluses formed of thin spring metal and spaced apart in the direction of the shaft axis, an inner sealing structure adapted to be carried by said inner part in uid tight relation therewith, said inner structure including a pair of spaced annuluses formed of thin spring metal having their outer peripheral margins in overlapping relationship and in sealing contact with the inner peripheral margins of the first pair of annuluses, one pair of said annuluses having both its said margins disposed exterior to the Iassembly and engaging the outer faces of the other pair of annuluses, said one pair of annuluses being stressed laterally in opposite directions to urge the said margins of the same into sealing engagement with the overlapping margins of the other pair, athrust receiving ring inserted between and with its sides in contact with the innermost overlapping margins of the spring metal annuluses, the ring being formed as an annular body having an uninterrupted thickness corresponding generally to the spacing between the annuluses and serving to receive thrust applied in compression tothe opposed sides of the body, and supplemental means inserted between said spring metal annuluses and serving to retain said thrust receiving ring `against radial displacement.

2. A sealing device as in claim 1 in which the spring metal annuluses of the outer structure exteriorlyV overlap the saidmargins of the inner spring metal annuluses, and in which said supplemental means is disposed between the annuluses of the outer structure.

3. A device as in claim 1 in which said thrust receiving ring is an annulus formed of resilient material.V

4. A device as in claim 1 in which said sup- -plemental means is an annulus having an effestive thickness less than the thickness of said ring.

' LAWRENCE G; SAYWELL.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,505,321 Dennedy Aug. 19, 1924 1,626,237 Hodgkinson Apr. 26, 1927 1,740,428 Knox Dec. 17, 1929 1,780,248 `Spreen Nov. 4, 1930 2,301,654 Yauch Nov. 10, 1942 2,393,779 Hunter Jan. 29, 1946 2,428,041 Saywell Sept. 30, 1947 

